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I straighten up and release an exhausted exhale. “Pack a bag,” I tell her. “If you’re late, I’m leaving without you.”
25
JUNE
“Here.”
That’s all Kolya says when he hands me back my phone. There’s no ceremony about it. Just the impatient, distracted grunt of a man who has better things to do with his day.
I take it silently and power it back to life. It lights up, revealing that I have several texts from Geneva.
GENEVA [12:33 AM]: We should talk again when I get back from this job in Mexico.
GENEVA: I’m still processing shit. I can’t believe you’re going to have a baby. And it’s not going to be Adrian’s!
GENEVA: Fuck, was that an insensitive thing to say. Sorry. I’m just shocked. It’s late. I’ll text tomorrow.
I scroll down to her messages from this morning.
GENEVA: [8:14 AM] Okay, so I’m on a plane to Mexico. And check it: this dude got me a first class ticket. I am so psyched that I took the job. So fucking worth it. Just for first class. And I haven’t even gotten paid yet.
GENEVA: They’re serving champagne!
GENEVA: Mom and Dad should see me now. They said my career would never amount to anything. Ha! Joke’s on them.
GENEVA: Guess you’re used to this life now, huh? With your rich boyfriend and all.
GENEVA: Are you okay? With the pregnancy and everything?
When I look up, there’s a shiny black Rolls Royce parked in front of us on the drive. Kolya opens the back door and helps me into the rear seat, then joins me there.
“Did you read my texts?” I ask as the car starts moving.
“Yes.” He doesn’t bother looking at me, too preoccupied with scrolling and tapping on his own phone.
I sigh. I’m not surprised by the intrusion, and I’m not really disappointed, either. Maybe I’m just disappointed that I’m not more disappointed, if that makes sense.
“I’m going to have to reply to Geneva, you know.” He doesn’t answer. I sigh again. “Should I tell her that we’re going to be in Mexico?”
“Be my guest. Or we can just surprise her at the party. Your call.”
“You got us tickets? What? How? Who did you—”
He shrugs and says nothing.
I slump back into my seat and scrutinize him. It’s odd: at first glance, you’d never peg him as handsome. Not the way Adrian was, at least, all light and effervescent.
But he does have charisma. It’s just the darker kind. The charisma of a canyon you can’t see the bottom of, dangerous and tempting.
“You’re staring.”
I jerk back to reality only to realize that Kolya’s piercing blue eyes are fixed on me. A little impatient. A little curious. “Sorry,” I mumble. “I was…”
“Yes?”
“Thinking of Adrian,” I admit.
He turns his eyes back to his phone as though he’s sorry he asked. I let loose the third sigh in as many minutes and start figuring out something to say to Genny.
